Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Plumber broke brand new bath - complicated - advice wanted re should he pay?

31 replies

babymt · 16/12/2008 19:25

Ok its a bit complicated right. We ordered 3 items from a big DIY chain - a bath, a bath surround and a cupboard which totalled over £900. We realised cupboard wouldn't fit so cancelled cupboard on order and someone big DIY chain messed up and we ended up with 2 orders. One for the original 3 items and then another with the 2 remaining items we wanted. Both turned up a few weeks apart and we never mentioned it and therefore got £900+ worth of stuff for free. We were going to sell the excess for approx £450 which is actually only 25% of the RRP.

So the plumber came to fit the bath. And in forcing in into the surround he cracked it which has rendered is useless. Would like to add that this plumber is employed by well known plumber and is only about 20 years old so can't have much experience. Boss plumber got a total arse on with us when we suggested he pay for the damage.

Now ok the replacement bath was free. I get that right. But we cannot sell the surround without the bath so we therefore lose out on £350 potential profits. Its total fluck we had another spare one. Surely if we hadn't he would have to be shelling out £350 to get us a new bath right?? Or he'd refuse and therefore not get paid by us. So AIBU to want the plumber to pay towards the cost of the replacement? Surely if you hire someone and they break something they should pay for it??? We didn't get a single apology either.

I was thinking I'd be reasonable and say he could pay the £175 we were hoping to get for it although we'd actually be out of pocket £350 as cannot sell surround without bath.

So thoughts please? Know thats rather complicated so will answer any questions.

OP posts:
Lauriefairyonthetreeeatscake · 16/12/2008 19:27

yabu and a thief

karma bit you back babe

BrownSugaSprinkledOnPumpkinPie · 16/12/2008 19:28

my thoughts exactly.

mrsmaidamess · 16/12/2008 19:29

You are not out of pocket at all. You had £900 of free stuff!

flowerytaleofNewYork · 16/12/2008 19:30

Well, you are right that if a workman breaks something, I would think he ought to pay for it or replace it.

However as you have stolen £900 of equipment it does indeed sound like karma really.

Lauriefairyonthetreeeatscake · 16/12/2008 19:31

I also think that if the workman had broken it while fitting it could be claimed on their insurance as I presume you have hired a master plumber who is registered and insured.

27 · 16/12/2008 19:32

I dont think you would get away with this.
The plumber presumably knows what you are doing, so presumably could threaten to tell the DIY company.

I suspect that in normal circumstances the plumber wouldnt have paid for the new bath - he would have argued that the bath was faulty and either him or you would have had to approach the DIY firm for a replacement.

newgirl · 16/12/2008 19:33

does the boss plumber know it was free stuff? if so, he probably wont be interested in paying for it

if he doesnt know and his person broke it he absolutely should pay for it - the full amount without question - do you have a contract? do you want to sack him? you could also talk to trading standards.

But if he knows you have a spare one there, then chances are he wont pay for it

NorthernLurkerwithastarontop · 16/12/2008 19:34

Are you out of your mind? You aren't being 'reasonable' at all. You are being dishonest and I think it damn well serves you right.

MerryMadMarg · 16/12/2008 19:35

Complete and utter karma - bitten you well and truly in the butt, hasn't it?

TheVirginGoober · 16/12/2008 19:37

Robbing bastard!!

You are the reason that WE normal, honest folk have to pay so much.
I hope you can sleep at night.

Original poster
babymt · 16/12/2008 19:38

OMG at being called a theif!! I reckon even if we'd told DIY company that they are so bleeding useless and idiotic that they would've sent us yet another one anyway. I don't see it as stealing....its their own fault they never noticed (this was 6 months ago btw so chances are they won't notice now). Is finding a tenner on the street and keeping it stealing too?

I view it as the DIY company at fault and not me. How thick have you got to be to send out £900 of free stuff?

Don't know if boss plumber knows it was free. Its a bit suspect that we had 2 anyway isn't it?

Anyway I don't want to sack him coz I want him to finish the job I've hired him to do because I want my bathroom done for christmas. An apology would've been nice too though.

OP posts:
Original poster
babymt · 16/12/2008 19:40

How many of you really would've sent back £900 of free stuff??????? Well and truly honestly?????

Anyway it wasn't about the morality of keeping the items I was asking. Its about the plumber breaking my bath and not apologising nor paying for it.

OP posts:
BrownSugaSprinkledOnPumpkinPie · 16/12/2008 19:40

you didn't find the bath on the street, you knew where it came from, and it appears you made no effort to inform the rightful owner of the mistake. So yes, you are a thief.

Lauriefairyonthetreeeatscake · 16/12/2008 19:40

it is not the same as finding a tenner on the street

they sent the goods to you, you should have refused them, to do otherwise makes you a thief

or a robbing bastard - whichever you prefer.

BrownSugaSprinkledOnPumpkinPie · 16/12/2008 19:42

If it's not about keeping the items you stole, why did you even mention them in your OP.

Lauriefairyonthetreeeatscake · 16/12/2008 19:42

I would have sent 900 worth of 'free stuff' back

because I am not a thief

you got what you deserve, now suck it up

NorthernLurkerwithastarontop · 16/12/2008 19:42

how dishonest do you have to be to keep £900 of stuff you didn't pay for?

I'm sure you don't like being called a thief but you are in posession of goods you wilfully haven't paid for or made any attempt to reurn to their legal owner. That makes you a thief in my book. Had you told them and they failed to collect them that would be another story.

kormaisforlifenotjustchristmas · 16/12/2008 19:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Geepers · 16/12/2008 19:43

I would have done. What goes around, comes around, as you are finding out. You stole it, so therefore you are due some bad luck.

TheBlonde · 16/12/2008 19:44

Did you sign for both deliveries? The DIY chain may eventually ask for their stuff back

NorthernLurkerwithastarontop · 16/12/2008 19:44

and yes I would have told them. You are complaining about your plumber not feeling an obligation to pay up when you yourself are happy to profiteer on stolen godds! Pot calling kettle!!!!

MerryMadMarg · 16/12/2008 19:45

I had an order turn up twice, and yes, I did they think were thick, BUT I STILL RETURNED IT!!!

lou031205 · 16/12/2008 19:45

babymt - were you honestly (probably a daft word to use given your actions ) expecting advice regarding your 'dilemma'?

You have stolen goods to the value of £900. Bit late to be taking the moral high ground with a plumber, don't you think?

And before you come back with anything about being sure we have all done it to a lesser degree, I once found that I had missed a small bottle of hand disinfectant rub in my trolley when I got to the car park outside Tesco. And yes, I went back in and explained my error, paying the 99p.

Especially in this climate, that 'mistake' which you have rubbed your hands with glee about could cost an employee his or her job - you should be ashamed of yourself.

As for advice:

Either explain to the plumber that the extra bath needs to be returned to the DIY store, so he will have to replace the one that is broken, and THEN RETURN THE EXTRA ORDER, or accept that you have lost the "profit" of your dishonesty and use the replacement surround.

To do anything else would be even worse than the double-dipping you have already helped yourself to

hecAteAMillionMincePies · 16/12/2008 19:45

Are you a thief? you took delivery of items that you knew full well were sent to you in error, you kept them, you intended to profit from them.

That's a bit like saying that if you allow someone to believe something false, that you haven't lied - well, you haven't told the truth, have you? so you have allowed a lie to be believed, there's no real difference.

Same with this. You did not go into the shop and leave with a bathtub shoved up your jumper, but you took delivery of items that you were 100% not entitled to.

I don't see the difference.

Keeping £10 that is not yours is depriving the owner of it. If you found it in the street and had no idea who it belonged to, then take it to police or keep it, not much you can do - you can't return it to owner if you have no idea who that is..... BUT if you see someone drop a tenner, and you put your foot over it and pick it up when they have gone - THAT is theft, because you know who it belongs to.

This suite wasn't dropped in the street, was it? You know exactly who it belongs to, and it's not you.

lou031205 · 16/12/2008 19:50

x posts

-Yes, in answer to your question, finding a tenner on the street and keeping it IS STEALING in law.

  • It wasn't £900 of FREE STUFF - it was a mistake resulting in you possessing £900 of stolen goods.

The DIY store's mistake ended when you took delivery of the items. It then became your duty to tell them that you had already received the goods.

I bet you would have been straight on that phone if they had charged you for the extra goods, demanding that they sort it out.